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Q&A: Kentucky's Jackson Davis Updates Recruitment as High-Major Interest Floods In
Q&A: Kentucky's Jackson Davis Updates Recruitment as High-Major Interest Floods In
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/359193?referrer_id=388419
Jackson Davis, a 6-8, 210-pound forward from Lexington (KY) Lafayette, is one of the top available frontcourt players in the country.
Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Georgia's Mark Fox and Mississippi State's Rick Ray all watched Jackson Davis play last Friday night. Unfortunately, they lost to Henry Clay 64-63 in the 11th Region tournament as finished the game with 25 points and 11 boards in the loss and became the Generals' first player to score 2,000 points in a career during the contest.
Davis, who is one of seven Kentucky Mr. Basketball finalists, committed to Rice last fall, but didn't sign with the Owls in the early signing period. Davis is the son of former University of Kentucky player Jonathan Davis.
Davis has had several outstanding games this season, including a 32-point, 31-rebound performance in Lafayette's double-overtime loss to Lexington Catholic in the 43rd District title game. He averaged 25 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this year.
Davis has picked up recent scholarship offers from Butler, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Central Florida.
Gopher Hole caught up with Davis Tuesday to learn the very latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your college recruitment right now?
Jackson Davis: Right now, I am in the process, of eliminating and narrowing down, I should say, the list of schools that would be best for me moving forward and trying to figure out some visit dates.
Gopher Hole: You have three visits left over from the fall after visiting Rice and Columbia, right?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir.
Gopher Hole: You committed to Rice back in the fall, but did not sign. What was the main reason for that?
Jackson Davis: Mainly because of what actually ended up happening. We didn't have as many options then and we knew that if I had a good season that I would have the option of possibly looking at other schools and making sure that I made the right decision of a school choice and that is what has happened.
Gopher Hole: You obviously had a very good senior season. Are you somewhat surprised of how many schools that you are hearing from right now?
Jackson Davis: Yes and no. It was expected, but at the same time, you never really prepare for it.
Gopher Hole: I always think that if you don't sign early because so many of the top players do sign early, 95 of ESPN's Top 100 signed in the fall, that because there are not as many good players like yourself available that there is even more schools fighting for a player like you. Is that what you think?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir. That is what has happened.
Gopher Hole: That has to make you feel pretty good that you are hearing from so many big-time schools?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir. It definitely does.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are one of the finalists for Mr. Basketball and were Region Player of the Year. Unfortunately, you were upset by Henry Clay in the playoffs Friday, but how pleased were you overall with your senior season, team-wise and individually.
Jackson Davis: I think, overall, my senior season went pretty well. We didn't make it quite as far as we had intended, but I think for a senior season, it wasn't too bad, actually.
Gopher Hole: When do they announce the Mr. Basketball for Kentucky?
Jackson Davis: Next Tuesday, they are having a banquet for it.
Gopher Hole: When you do finally do make your decision about a school, what is going to be the main factor that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Jackson Davis: Probably, my comfort level at the school. I don't want to go to a place where two weeks into school, I feel like I want to go home. I also want to get to a place that will set me up to be successful not only in basketball, but in life overall.
Gopher Hole: I know that you said that you are going to narrow down your list of schools to make some visit. Do you know of any schools that you definitely want to visit yet or haven't you narrowed it down that far yet?
Jackson Davis: We are still discussing it.
Gopher Hole: I know that head coaches from Minnesota, Notre Dame, Georgia and Mississippi State were at your game Friday. What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Jackson Davis: Personally, nothing, because I don't talk to any of the coaches. None of them have my number. My parents handle the coaches' phone calls, so personally nothing. I don't know anything about them. You would have to ask my mom.
Gopher Hole: Do you kind of like that your parents are handling that for you because if they weren't doing it, you would probably get calls all the time.
Jackson Davis: Oh, yes. It is a good thing that they are handling it.
Gopher Hole: Your dad played at Kentucky. Have you seen any highlights or much of his game?
Jackson Davis: I have seen a tiny little bit. We have a couple of magazines and stuff around the house. I have seen a little bit,
Gopher Hole: How does his game compare to your game?
Jackson Davis: I would say that I think that I am better.
Gopher Hole: Does he think that?
Jackson Davis: Yes. He has said that I am better before. I think that he jumped a little bit higher than I did.
Gopher Hole: When was the last time that you played one-on-one?
Jackson Davis: It has been years. Probably since middle school.
Gopher Hole: Did you win the last time that you played?
Jackson Davis: Yea, I won.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are a good student. Rice is a very high academic school and I know that you are getting some looks for some Ivy League schools. Have you thought about a possible college major?
Jackson Davis: Business. I'd like to be a financial advisor.
Gopher Hole: Do you have a timeframe when you are going to A) decide on what school you are going to visits and B) with the signing period starting next month, would you try to decide at the beginning of the period or would you wait awhile?
Jackson Davis: I probably wouldn't get until later in the signing period because we haven't set up any of the visits yet?
Gopher Hole: I know that Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino was at your game Friday. Do you know if they have offered you a scholarship yet?
Jackson Davis: They have not.
Gopher Hole: Do you know much about Minnesota? Have you ever been to Minnesota?
Jackson Davis: No, sir. I know very little.
Gopher Hole: I think that you know Coach Pitino's name because of his father, who is the head coach at Louisville? Is that pretty much what you know about him?
Jackson Davis: That is about all I know about him. Coach Pitino was my dad's coach when he was at UK.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working to improve yourself as a player to play at the collegiate level?
Jackson Davis: Probably my facing the basket moves. I have been working on my perimeter game here a lot recently. I will probably play a lot more on the perimeter in college moving forward with the game. That is something that I have really been working on.
Gopher Hole: Are you playing in any All-Stars game now that your season is over?
Jackson Davis: The only one that I know of so far is for all the legion players in the area and the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Game. I'll be playing in that.
Q&A: Kentucky's Jackson Davis Updates Recruitment as High-Major Interest Floods In
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/359193?referrer_id=388419
Jackson Davis, a 6-8, 210-pound forward from Lexington (KY) Lafayette, is one of the top available frontcourt players in the country.
Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Georgia's Mark Fox and Mississippi State's Rick Ray all watched Jackson Davis play last Friday night. Unfortunately, they lost to Henry Clay 64-63 in the 11th Region tournament as finished the game with 25 points and 11 boards in the loss and became the Generals' first player to score 2,000 points in a career during the contest.
Davis, who is one of seven Kentucky Mr. Basketball finalists, committed to Rice last fall, but didn't sign with the Owls in the early signing period. Davis is the son of former University of Kentucky player Jonathan Davis.
Davis has had several outstanding games this season, including a 32-point, 31-rebound performance in Lafayette's double-overtime loss to Lexington Catholic in the 43rd District title game. He averaged 25 points and 13.6 rebounds per game this year.
Davis has picked up recent scholarship offers from Butler, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Central Florida.
Gopher Hole caught up with Davis Tuesday to learn the very latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your college recruitment right now?
Jackson Davis: Right now, I am in the process, of eliminating and narrowing down, I should say, the list of schools that would be best for me moving forward and trying to figure out some visit dates.
Gopher Hole: You have three visits left over from the fall after visiting Rice and Columbia, right?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir.
Gopher Hole: You committed to Rice back in the fall, but did not sign. What was the main reason for that?
Jackson Davis: Mainly because of what actually ended up happening. We didn't have as many options then and we knew that if I had a good season that I would have the option of possibly looking at other schools and making sure that I made the right decision of a school choice and that is what has happened.
Gopher Hole: You obviously had a very good senior season. Are you somewhat surprised of how many schools that you are hearing from right now?
Jackson Davis: Yes and no. It was expected, but at the same time, you never really prepare for it.
Gopher Hole: I always think that if you don't sign early because so many of the top players do sign early, 95 of ESPN's Top 100 signed in the fall, that because there are not as many good players like yourself available that there is even more schools fighting for a player like you. Is that what you think?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir. That is what has happened.
Gopher Hole: That has to make you feel pretty good that you are hearing from so many big-time schools?
Jackson Davis: Yes, sir. It definitely does.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are one of the finalists for Mr. Basketball and were Region Player of the Year. Unfortunately, you were upset by Henry Clay in the playoffs Friday, but how pleased were you overall with your senior season, team-wise and individually.
Jackson Davis: I think, overall, my senior season went pretty well. We didn't make it quite as far as we had intended, but I think for a senior season, it wasn't too bad, actually.
Gopher Hole: When do they announce the Mr. Basketball for Kentucky?
Jackson Davis: Next Tuesday, they are having a banquet for it.
Gopher Hole: When you do finally do make your decision about a school, what is going to be the main factor that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Jackson Davis: Probably, my comfort level at the school. I don't want to go to a place where two weeks into school, I feel like I want to go home. I also want to get to a place that will set me up to be successful not only in basketball, but in life overall.
Gopher Hole: I know that you said that you are going to narrow down your list of schools to make some visit. Do you know of any schools that you definitely want to visit yet or haven't you narrowed it down that far yet?
Jackson Davis: We are still discussing it.
Gopher Hole: I know that head coaches from Minnesota, Notre Dame, Georgia and Mississippi State were at your game Friday. What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Jackson Davis: Personally, nothing, because I don't talk to any of the coaches. None of them have my number. My parents handle the coaches' phone calls, so personally nothing. I don't know anything about them. You would have to ask my mom.
Gopher Hole: Do you kind of like that your parents are handling that for you because if they weren't doing it, you would probably get calls all the time.
Jackson Davis: Oh, yes. It is a good thing that they are handling it.
Gopher Hole: Your dad played at Kentucky. Have you seen any highlights or much of his game?
Jackson Davis: I have seen a tiny little bit. We have a couple of magazines and stuff around the house. I have seen a little bit,
Gopher Hole: How does his game compare to your game?
Jackson Davis: I would say that I think that I am better.
Gopher Hole: Does he think that?
Jackson Davis: Yes. He has said that I am better before. I think that he jumped a little bit higher than I did.
Gopher Hole: When was the last time that you played one-on-one?
Jackson Davis: It has been years. Probably since middle school.
Gopher Hole: Did you win the last time that you played?
Jackson Davis: Yea, I won.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are a good student. Rice is a very high academic school and I know that you are getting some looks for some Ivy League schools. Have you thought about a possible college major?
Jackson Davis: Business. I'd like to be a financial advisor.
Gopher Hole: Do you have a timeframe when you are going to A) decide on what school you are going to visits and B) with the signing period starting next month, would you try to decide at the beginning of the period or would you wait awhile?
Jackson Davis: I probably wouldn't get until later in the signing period because we haven't set up any of the visits yet?
Gopher Hole: I know that Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino was at your game Friday. Do you know if they have offered you a scholarship yet?
Jackson Davis: They have not.
Gopher Hole: Do you know much about Minnesota? Have you ever been to Minnesota?
Jackson Davis: No, sir. I know very little.
Gopher Hole: I think that you know Coach Pitino's name because of his father, who is the head coach at Louisville? Is that pretty much what you know about him?
Jackson Davis: That is about all I know about him. Coach Pitino was my dad's coach when he was at UK.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working to improve yourself as a player to play at the collegiate level?
Jackson Davis: Probably my facing the basket moves. I have been working on my perimeter game here a lot recently. I will probably play a lot more on the perimeter in college moving forward with the game. That is something that I have really been working on.
Gopher Hole: Are you playing in any All-Stars game now that your season is over?
Jackson Davis: The only one that I know of so far is for all the legion players in the area and the Kentucky/Indiana All-Star Game. I'll be playing in that.
